Often copied but never bettered, Carpenter’s 1983 adaptation of King’s Christine is nothing short of an absolute blast, its polished physical effects still gleaming nearly forty years after its release.
The story of a boy and his first car is as American as apple pie and cream, with many movies exploring the car as an extension of a boy’s emerging manhood. In most cases, the vehicle merely represents a boy’s need to belong in a confusing world of masculine stereotypes. In Christine, Stephen King twists this rite of passage into something far more horrific as a killer car and a damaged boy come together in the headlights of an unbreakable and deadly bond. The film rights to Christine were snapped up before the novel had even hit bookshop shelves.
John Carpenter understood Christine was the star of the show, her headlights beaming as she revved up for murder. But while Christine may steer each death, the confused and isolated Arnie (Keith Gordon) sits at the wheel. Here, Christine and her twisted mechanical love consume Arnie’s life and turn him into the ultimate killer kid.
Often copied but never bettered, Carpenter’s Christine is nothing short of an absolute blast, its polished physical effects still gleaming nearly forty years after its release. So, buckle up because you’re in for one hell of a ride, as Carpenter’s cult classic puts the pedal to the metal and, unlike many horrors, doesn’t run out of gas halfway through.
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